Disney’s successful swashbuckling adventure, Pirates of the Caribbean, received two sequels following many of the same characters as well as a third followup – Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – that switched the focus to Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow. Despite rumors that the new Pirates movie could return to Orlando Bloom’s character from the original films, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will again see Jack Sparrow as the leading man.

In recent months, actors new to the franchise have joined Dead Men Tell No Tales, such as Brenton Thwaites (The Giver), Kaya Scodelario (The Maze Runner), and Oscar winner Javier Bardem. Now, with filming beginning, an official synopsis for the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean installment has been released.


Disney announced today that filming began on Dead Men Tell No Tales in Queensland, Australia with Jerry Bruckheimer returning to produce the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning (Kon-Tiki) will direct the film from a script written by Jeff Nathanson (Catch Me If You Can).

The official synopsis for Dead Men Tell No Tales reveals the film’s lead (Jack Sparrow) and insights into Bardem’s villainous character:

“Thrust into an all-new adventure, a down-on-his-luck Captain Jack Sparrow finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying Captain Salazar (Bardem), escape from the Devil’s Triangle, determined to kill every pirate at sea…including him. Captain Jack’s only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, a powerful artifact that bestows upon its possessor total control over the seas.”

Dead Men Tell No Tales will also see the return of Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa in addition to Kevin R. McNally as Joshamee Gibbs and Stephen Graham as Scrum. Furthermore, Golshifteh Farahani (Exodus: Gods and Kings) will co-star in the Pirates of the Caribbean film. These actors will join previously announced cast members Adam Brown (The Hobbit trilogy), Delroy Atkinson, and Danny Kirrane (Automata).

The synopsis for Dead Men Tell No Tales seems to be entirely different from the outline previously given by Thwaites. However, Thwaites may have been referring more to his own character’s story than the overarching plot of the film. Captain Salazar’s plan to “kill every pirate at sea” will have far-reaching consequences and may offer an opportunity for fans to see many characters return – such as Davy Jones himself.

That being said, aside from Jack Sparrow and Barbossa returning, the synopsis for Dead Men Tell No Tales doesn’t indicate the film will be heavily connected to the previous Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Given the mostly poor reception to On Stranger Tides, distancing Dead Men Tell No Tales from its most recent predecessor may be best move for this film.

However, if Dead Men Tell No Tales is able to revisit fan-favorite characters like Jack Sparrow and Barbossa in an exciting adventure film, the movie may be able to gain back whatever ground was lost by On Stranger Tides – and, inevitably, reinvigorate the franchise.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales hits theaters July 7th, 2017.